TMC netas in quit mode, KMC turns into a lame duck, BJP indicates civic polls ‘at earliest’

KOLKATA: The spate of resignations by Trinamool Congress (TMC) office-bearers rocked the Kolkata Municiple Corporation (KMC) on Wednesday, when Borough XII chairman Sushanta Ghosh resigned and party spokesperson and councillor Arup Chakraborty stepped down from his post of a KMC accounts committee member.

Barasat MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar continued her tirade, shooting off a fresh letter to TMC president Subrata Bakshi, resigning from all party posts, while former minister and singer Indranil Sen announced he would no longer participate in electoral politics. Dastidar, however, clarified she was not quitting the party.

Following the earlier resignation of 127 councillors from 11 civic boards, the Bengal Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday indicated that conducting municipal polls at the earliest was becoming imminent as a number of municipalities had turned non-functional.

According to rules, KMC councillors, borough chairpersons and MMiCs have to send their resignations to the mayor. But as mayor Firhad Hakim was absent from the KMC headquarters, Ghosh and Chakraborty sent their resignation letters to the KMC chairperson, municipal commissioner and municipal secretary.

Explaining the reason for taking such a step at a time when the party was going through a crisis, Ghosh cited the people's mandate and "the leadership's failure to tame a section of high-profile ministers and functionaries". He pointed out those functionaries, who once roamed in 10-car convoys, were now nowhere to be seen when it came to protecting grassroots TMC workers from post-poll violence.

"Where have the high-profile leaders gone? We are with the party and will stand by our workers if they are attacked or arrested," he said. Chakraborty criticised the growing ‘VVIP' culture within TMC, questioning the lifestyles of certain functionaries following the poll defeat.

The resignations began with Debalina Biswas, Borough IX chairperson. She alleged she was being held responsible by some party functionaries for the KMC's decision to paste notices on Abhishek Banerjee's properties. MMiC Tarak Singh has twice skipped meetings, convened by TMC chief Mamata Banerjee.

Ghosh Dastidar, a four-time MP, kept up the heat. "My conscience is deeply disturbed," she wrote in her letter, referring to the allegations of the ration scam, recruitment irregularities and financial and administrative improprieties, which, she said generated "anger and distrust" among people.

An alumna of RG Kar, Dastidar referred to the rape and murder on the campus and an alleged attempted at cover-up, saying the episode "personally shook" her. She took a swipe at an unnamed TMC MP, apparently Kalyan Banerjee.

Indranil Sen told TV9 Bangla, "I am in politics, but I am not a politician. There is a difference between the two. People made me an MLA... The party gave me this honour, and I enjoyed it. I tried my best... I will no longer be in electoral politics... As of today, this is my decision. I don't know what will happen tomorrow."Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Bakrid wishes, messages and eid 2026